Tikaram Thakulla will pocket Rs 8,000 for five days of play at the Mumbai Rink Hockey League, a floodlit tournament featuring 25-minute games on a cement court at Malad Gymkhana. That apart, he will make Rs 1,000 for every Man of the Match award. He will be the only schoolboy competing against men, including internationals and Olympians, in the six-team competition. For the 15-year-old from Marine Lines, it will be the biggest paycheque of his hockey career since trying his hand at field hockey as a Std VI student at Our Lady of Dolours High School.
Guarding the goal as a central defender and burying himself in books occupy a lot of Tikaram’s time. His father, Gopal Thakulla, works as a security guard to support his son as well as the rest of the family living in Nepal. Hailing from Accham district in the neighbouring country, the father-duo duo made Mumbai its home more than 10 years ago. If the father works a double shift, the son represents OLDS in inter-school competitions, turns out for Bombay Republicans Club in the Mumbai Hockey Association League and studies hard. Why, he has even captained Mumbai at the Sub-Junior National Hockey Championships.
Aiming high Tikaram makes just enough money by playing for the Republicans. The Marine Lines kid realises that a sporting career can be a reality. Competing against men in a prize money rink hockey tournament (December 1-5) is his next chance. Tikaram is among the 54 chosen players, divided into six teams, paid to play according to a grading system. He has been included in Grade B and chosen to play for Poinsur Pirates, owned by hockey lovers Ryan Fonseca and Francis Cardozo.
Tikaram’s father works as security guard in Jasville Bulding, Marine Lines, and they live in a structure allotted to employees of the building. After completing the day shift which starts at 7:00 am, Gopal does night duty at a nearby hotel.
Tikaram took to hockey after Republicans coach Marzban ‘Bawa’ Patel went scouting for kids at school. Interestingly, Patel is also the coach of Poinsur Pirates. “The money will help me buy a new pair of hockey shoes,” says Tikaram.
When you play hockey on turf, you need special equipment. The stick Tikaram uses is a gift from Devendra Walmiki, another Marine Lines boy and Republicans player who now plays for the country.
Gopal does not have the good fortune of watching his son play. That’s how cruel a double shift can be. “He watched me when I made my sub-junior nationals debut for Mumbai at the MHAL Stadium in Churchgate,” Tikaram says. “He always tells me to be diligent.”
Hardened by circumstances Guarding the goal as stopper-back in front of the helmeted goalkeepers is a high-pressure job. But so hardened is Tikaram by circumstances that he just knows how to survive in a man’s world. “When you are a defender, you have to take care of everything. You must cover up for others. If I commit a mistake during a tackle, it usually results in a goal. I am learning something new every day. Leading a team is another challenge. Sir (Patel) has advised me to play at the back because he feels my ball distribution and tackling will be useful to the school team. Everyone cannot be a forward. That said, everyone wants to score goals and be popular. I try to help my team by committing fewer mistakes in defence.”
Defenders often make for superb drag-flickers. Dabang Mumbai’s Harmanpreet Singh is Tikaram’s favourite player. “I watched him here during the Hockey India League. I admire his game sense, distribution, tackling,” he says of India’s emerging drag-flick specialist.
“Playing in the HIL is every kid’s dream now, I want to go further and play for India one day,” he adds. Dividing his time between hockey and academics is child’s play now. “I go to a relative for tuitions. My father says education will give us a better life.”
Given that Tikaram’s mother and three siblings live in Nepal, a family reunion is rare. “I want to meet my mother before the Board exams, so that I can be here for hockey tournaments in the summer,” says Tikaram, who lives with his father, grandparents and some other relatives, one of whom cooks. “I eat what is available at home and sometimes ask my father for pocket money to eat my favourite chicken dish,” he says.
From playing field hockey in the MHA League at Churchgate to preparing for some fast-paced rink hockey in Malad, the kid is excited about plying his trade — tackling and passing — against some of Mumbai's best players. Returning home after a night of hockey to attending school the following morning will be difficult, but Tikaram realises that education will give him that much-needed security in life.
